A short discussion can help a young person organise what they understood and connect an opinion or inference with the text. Use one worthwhile idea rather than questioning every paragraph.

Start with a real text

After a homework text, article or section of a book, choose one decision, argument or idea. Ask:

• “What do you think about that?”

• “Which sentence, example or quotation led you to that view?”

For a news article, discuss whether the evidence supports the headline. For fiction, ask why a character made an important decision. For instructions, identify which detail makes one step necessary.

Listen to the reasoning before adding your own view. If their view doesn’t fit the text, go back to the relevant section and ask what the wording shows.

More than one interpretation may be reasonable when each is supported by evidence.

Keep the conversation natural and stop once the idea has been explored. Do not turn leisure reading into a formal comprehension test or supply the interpretation before the young person has considered it.